1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a chamber housing for forming an electrical plug-and-socket connector with chambers arranged in a plurality of parallel rows, each chamber intended to hold one electrical contact element and allowing the locking element of a contact spring integrally molded on the chamber housing to engage into the chamber for primary locking of a contact element that is inserted into the chamber, and each contact spring is secured against buckling by a blocking element.
2. Background Art
Such chamber housings are used in the automotive area, among other places, as a part to form electrical plug-and-socket connectors, for example, to make contact between electrical/electronic components contained in the engine compartment and the motor vehicle's electrical system. Generally, such plug-and-socket connectors have many pins, for example, 47, 58, 96, or even more than 150 pins. In such plug-and-socket connectors, the individual chambers to hold the electrical contact elements are arranged in a plurality of rows that are parallel to one another.
In one prior art plug-and-socket connector, primary locking of a contact element inserted into a chamber is provided by a locking element of a contact spring integrally molded on the chamber housing. For example, the locking element can be a hooked projection or the top edge of the contact spring. The chamber housings are injection-molded plastic parts such that the individual contact springs integrally molded on the chamber housings are also made of plastic. To ensure that the contact springs require sufficient withdrawal force to provide security from withdrawal, blocking elements are provided which border the contact springs on the back thus preventing a buckling motion.
In previously known chamber housings made with more than two rows and thus having interior or middle chamber rows that are inaccessible to mold slides from the long side of the chamber housing, the chamber housing is made in two parts, at least in the area of the middle rows, to allow the individual contact springs to be molded in an injection mold and removed from the mold using tool technology. In this previously known prior art, the one chamber housing part includes the chambers with the contact springs. The other chamber housing part carries the top of the chambers and the blocking elements that reach behind the contact springs. In this previously known chamber housing, the two-part design of at least those sections of the chamber housing with the middle rows is particularly disadvantageous, first because this requires the production of two parts to be connected with one another and second because this requires their assembly at a later point in time, and in the course of this the cumulative tolerances also increase.